Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo fits inside Australia 3.3 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 696 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,882 m above Australia’s.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 4.1 times as many people as Australia.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · DR Congo: 113 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 14 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 10.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 8.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 22 years older than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.5 more children on average than in Australia.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · DR Congo: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia has produced 3.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · DR Congo: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Australia 1.
Australia: 1 (2026) · DR Congo: 5 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 20 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · DR Congo: $91 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 37 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Australia (Gini 10.9 points higher).
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · DR Congo: 44.7 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
The DR Congo and Australia are practically level.
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · DR Congo: 4.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Australia spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · DR Congo: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× the DR Congo’s.
Australia: 91% (2025) · DR Congo: 42% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 298 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · DR Congo: $23 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 18 times as likely to die before turning one as in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 20 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · DR Congo: 5.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 12% in Australia.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · DR Congo: 12.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 3.16 points higher than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · DR Congo: 3.76 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 6.6 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 33 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 1,547 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 230 more hours a year than in Australia.
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 5.5 years longer than in the DR Congo.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · DR Congo: 0.01 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
Australia: 96% (2024) · DR Congo: 20% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Australia have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
Australia: 100% (2024) · DR Congo: 22.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
Australia: 88% (2025) · DR Congo: 45% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Australia has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
Australia: 113 (2024) · DR Congo: 59 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 9 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 245 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · DR Congo: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 17% of Australia.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · DR Congo: 54.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 268 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Australia.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · DR Congo: 100% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 7.6 times as much fine dust as in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · DR Congo: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 3.6 times as deadly as in Australia.
Australia: 4.5 per 100k (2021) · DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 2.3 °C warmer than Australia.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 3.3 times as much rain as Australia.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the DR Congo?
Australia is larger. The DR Congo fits inside Australia 3.3 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the DR Congo?
The DR Congo has 4.1 times as many people as Australia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the DR Congo?
People in Australia live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 62.1 in the DR Congo.
Are people taller in Australia or the DR Congo?
Men in Australia are 10.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
